Wednesday, June 15, 2011

A New Voice In The Forest

It was only a matter of time before I would author my own blog I suppose. Why not, I already do a good amount of writing on the subject within forums and on other's blogs, so having my own platform should allow me to focus more attention on particular issues. As the chosen title infers, its premise is to consider the perspective of the species, as best as humanly possible anyhow. Hopefully this blog will endure & adapt over time too. While I could never expect to be the literalvoice of the species, as that would require a whole lot more contact then I've ever had with these beings, having seen and encountered them several times does give a person an insight that just isn't available to those without them. Obviously once you've seen them, you are well past the first hurdle most struggle with, that is you no longer wonder whether they even exist. And with each encounter you have, you learn a little bit more each time. You become less afraid and more familiar. You learn to present yourself to them without agenda. You eventually realize the relevance of not needing to secure proof if you wish to have an encounter. You let your heart be your guide. You do your best to not be afraid. (Sometimes that doesn't totally work. lol) But when your next encounter happens, you learn to cherish it and it simply becomes another step in your own life experiences.

What prompted me to begin writing my own blog was the realization of a few issues. One is that we need to recognize there are varied degrees of exploitation and harassment of the species already taking place that most don't realize. Secondly, if and when the time comes that Sasquatch as a species is proven to the world, such realization will require empathetic and knowledgeable voices within the field. Those who have had repeat encounters and who hold a grounded understanding of issues relative to our shared environment should have a voice. I am just one of them. People will need to act as their advocates of sorts, but we also need to watch for the traps that our peers may not see. Not that we even know what Sasquatch are yet, as that answer may in fact surprise us all. But my own encounters with them has at least given me some insight many don't have. I am not alone either. But I also know to be open to every possibility. So while we all share in this exploration of the unknown, I realize that not everyone is moving at the same speed. Once you've looked into their eyes, plenty is revealed to those who have experienced it.

Before I go into too much more, here's a little about me. I saw my first Sasquatch back in 1977 when I lived and worked for 3 years at Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Mountains of California. It was late at night when a good friend Steve (an excellent guitarist & singer with an energy filled raspy voice) and I were driving home from Los Angeles after our weekend off work. It was a good 6 hour drive, so he was dozed off in the passenger seat while I was at the wheel of my small Chevy Luv pickup. I also had very bright Daylighter off-road lights on my truck's roof that really lit things up ahead with their narrow long beam. We had entered the southeast entrance of the park sometime after midnight. As we are driving the winding turns through steep terrain, we come around a corner and there he is, he had just stepped off the hill from the right and was immediately in front of my truck about 30' feet ahead. I came to a very quick partly skidding stop. I definitely did not want to hit him, especially being he was so massive that he could have easily picked up the front of my truck and thrown us over the cliff. While I'm trying to comprehend, he is looking directly into my eyes as I look back up at his. I will never forget that. It was obvious that he could clearly see me through the windshield too, which somehow must have been made possible with the aid of light being emitted from my dash instruments and maybe his own reflection back onto me. Ironically I don't even recall him squinting, which seems contrary to their noted dislike of bright lights. His head was above the actual beams of the light however so maybe that made it easier. Our eyes were locked on one another once he looked at me. I was speechless and amazed as I took in every detail I could too. The sheer mass of his biceps and thighs. The hairline on his face as there was no hair just under the eyes. His heavy fingernails. His bare palms. His bare skinned nose (not black! smile) and ears. His overall size. His extremely toned muscle outlines that I could make out through his hair. His obvious neck. I also remember thinking this, his biceps were bigger then my thighs and his thighs were bigger then my waist. He was a good 8' tall too, very massive stature, and solid muscle. No question he could have easily picked up my little truck with us in it and thrown us over the cliff had he chose. So I definitely did not want to make him mad. Also keep in mind, by the time I came to a stop, the front of my small pickup was well within 20' feet of him.

So all this is happening in pretty much slow motion for me as he is taking his next step and looks ahead & away from me. It is then that I raise up and forward in my seat to look at his lower body, his legs & calves, even the bottom of his feet and their bare skin. His hair went down just past his ankles and covered the tops of his feet. I think it is about then that I hit my friend Steve in the shoulder and yelled "Steve, wake up, LOOK its a Sasquatch!" As the Sas reaches the edge of the road, he looks back at me once more as he begins to reach down with his left arm while lowering himself to the road's edge. By the time I was able to guide Steve to know which direction to look, he got to see him just as it was bending over and disappear over the side.

Well we sat there for a minute or so, I don't remember how long exactly. I remember that I dared him to go look over the side and see if it was still there. lol I also remember that as soon as we started driving again, I said to Steve: "We can't tell anybody at work about this, they'll think we're crazy!". Of course he didn't get to see all that I did either. And while we did keep the incident relatively quiet for the most part, this encounter would mark the beginning for me of three and a half decades of sightings and other encounters with these mysterious creatures. Some may ask why I didn't wake Steve up immediately, but this was my first encounter and I was still young and unprepared. Simply put, I was a shock. When you are confronted with something so breathtaking like this for the first time in your life at that close of a distance, well you really don't know how you will react.

Well that was my first encounter with this enigma within our comfy little world we all take for granted. That also wouldn't be my last encounter. Some of the encounters I've since had, have allowed me to develop what I hope is a unique perspective on issues pertaining to these beings. I know that there are others who have been equally touched with varied experiences. It does present one a sense of purpose in the grand scheme of things pertaining to the mystery. While there are people who have had more numerous encounters then I, I do wonder 'why' some have repeat encounters and some don't? Do certain people share a link of sorts in a grander purpose? Why is it that certain people do seem to attract them? Clearly this is one mystery that we don't control. Yes, more questions then answers for everyone.

I also want to say that my 3 years in Yosemite National Park were the most wonderful years of my life. When you live there you knew where to escape the people, even in the main valley. Then when I would be working, meeting people from all walks of life and from all over the world was a daily adventure in itself. To also exchange a daily hello with Ansel Adams, and to see him as just some fellow park resident, well you might imagine my naivete' in those years. But back to bigfoot. About a month later that Summer, I had heard that there was a local Native American who worked at the Tioga Pass Guard Station entrance, and that he had also seen a bigfoot. So I drove up there on one of my days off with a few friends. I just had to talk to him, to share my story, and to find someone who might provide me some understanding. He was working then so he couldn't talk long. But apparently he and another man were flying north of the park in a small plane and saw what he described as a 10' or 12' tall bigfoot from the air. Hard to recall now nor could I imagine something so big. I told him about my encounter too, but I'm not sure he believed me actually. I wonder if he thought I was too wet around the ears to have such an experience, or maybe he felt I was just pulling his leg? I really didn't find any answers that day either way. Decades later I came across two accounts of bigfoot seen from the air in the same area around the same time period. I'm not quite sure which is his but I'm fairly certain one of them would be.

Anyway I've had many more encounters with these beings since my first, having visually seen 3 more and a few dozen or so non-visual encounters. I am an avid outdoors-man and I know my way around the woods. Yes I'm a hunter too, but I'm a naturalist at heart. I've also had my rifle on me during the last three visual encounters and I've never had a desire to shoot one. Part of that relates to something that once happened, that one day I may talk more about... I also believe my experiences have enabled me to recognize what is natural phenomenon as opposed to what is often mistaken as sign of Sasquatch by many researchers. It took some lessons to reach this point, but there is little doubt that people are reading way too much into certain natural phenomenon. I am presently examining another mystery often suspected as being from bigfoot that has left many researchers baffled, including myself. More on that in the future. My point is that it is important to challenge the unusual stuff found out in the field. If you didn't see Sasquatch do it yourself, don't jump to the conclusion that they were responsible! Mother Nature has an uncanny ability to create many different unusual physical anomalies all by her self. That doesn't mean these sasquatch aren't responsible for some of it, but if you are going to be out there chasing something that is already viewed as non-existent to the rest of the world, it works against you to see every tree break or stick laying on the forest floor, as being some kind of Sasquatch sign. Its important to be pragmatic and challenge yourself when examining this stuff. Remember, young people construct all sorts of odd things for fun when they are in the woods, and just like you, they follow similar patterns and pathways to get from Point A to Point B.

I have also never filed a report with any of the so-called Bigfoot Organizations about my own encounters. The way I figure it is, 'why would I have someone I don't know, someone who probably knows less about Sasquatch then I, qualify the validity of my own claims?' Frankly, I've had more direct encounters with Sasquatch then most of the researchers out there. And when I see all the agendas in this field, along with an actual lack of insight into the creature itself, well I figure I'm better off qualifying my own past encounters, learning from it, and sharing with those who have had similar experiences. None of the noted researchers were in my shoes or present at the time. All they can do is qualify what I tell them. The irony is, few will ever know for themselves what its like to see one. The organization methods aren't what understanding the species is about either. Unfortunately (or is it fortunately) most in the field only knows how to repeat the techniques of others anyhow. They are driven by an insatiable desire to see one and get proof of the species! A habituation is ruined or delayed as soon as the trail cameras go up. This is simply not the way to have an encounter either, but most will never understand this, so I guess let them continue chasing these ghosts.

Having had the encounters I have dating back 34 years, I have never allowed this mystery to consume me either. You can't. (Although right now I'm beginning to feel a bit attached to this new blog commitment. ) I've actually avoided becoming too involved in searching too. It was only 4 years ago that I decided to try and understand why I keep having encounters. While there were many times when I have gone out deer hunting and just hoped that I didn't have an encounter that day, months would go by without giving it much though. In fact as people who know me realize, I generally don't even go out attempting to have encounters. I just take them in stride actually. I've also learned from my experiences that they are more then just some giant ape too. This is something that most non-witnesses don't yet understand. Most are still at the point of questioning whether these beings even exist, yet alone being able to comprehend another classification of human alongside us. So many of those who have never seen one or had any form of intimate encounter, yet proclaim to be experts, really don't help much. lol

With that said, I hope my introductory page will leave you wanting me to write more. This first one is kind of all over the place but future posts will be more targeted. Those who have read any of my in-depth posts on various sites know I will offer some compelling thoughts to certain issues. I'm not yet sure how often I will post on this blog, so bare with me on that as I figure out a pace. I've got a good selection of topics that I've already drafted so I should have enough material for a while.

I'm still working out a few bugs of course and I may make the occasional edit so bare with me. Please comments because I want to hear what you have to say. So thank you for reading my new blog. I will do my best to share what I can when I can, and to hopefully provide new and interesting points of view.

10 comments:

Anonymous
said...

You have an interesting concept in the title & header, hope ya have the insight needed. Won't be easy whatever bigfoot are. Should be some interesting changes to come if bigfoot is proven though, so maybe you have the right idea.

Excellent ground rules, as well as purpose of the blog laid out for future discussion. Having had an encounter I hope others will have enough common sense and good charecter to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. We have seen enough sensationalism and hoax's to last a lifetime. If not shame on you as you are not any better than a politician, lawyer, or common thief for your deception.

I feel this blog has already drawn a line in the sand with it's level of apparent honesty and what I feel, is the cutting edge of progressive discussion in this subject... The calibre of comment so far from it's readers, is I feel a clear indication of the of the type of blogger it's going to attract and as a result I will most certainly be a regular visitor and am very much looking forward to it. Make no apologies Dave, people won't mind waiting that little extra for quality; something I'm sure this blog will deliver.Peace.Joe Fitzgerald, UK.